In this article, we use so-called affiliate links. With every purchase through these links, we receive a commission from the merchant. All relevant referral links are marked with . Learn more.
For me, mountain biking and gloves go together like burgers and fries or tinkering with your bike and listening to music - one requires the other. I can't understand why some mountain bikers set off on the trails without gloves. Is it some kind of style thing that I don't understand? Is it supposed to be cool? Or brave? Along the lines of: My hands don't need any protection? We explain what function cycling gloves fulfil, what you should look out for when buying them and have tested seven current models.
We have tested these mountain bike gloves
Sure, gloves can be annoying on hot summer days, but even then they fulfil a not entirely unimportant function: they prevent sweaty hands from slipping on the handlebars. No matter how grippy the grips or brake levers are, wet paws can quickly turn handling into a slippery ride.
Mountain bike gloves - the most important functions
For me, a good mountain bike glove should fulfil a few basic functions. First of all, of course, it has to fit perfectly - so trying them on is essential. Once you've found your favourite glove, it's not without reason that you often stick with this model. It is important that the fingers fit perfectly, otherwise the shifting and braking feel will suffer.
The palm is a matter of taste. I prefer thin synthetic leather for maximum direct contact with the handlebars. Models with gel padding or additional padding on the inside worsen the handling in my opinion, but can be a help if you have problems with pressure points or numbness.
It is great if the glove is slightly pre-shaped to the grip position of the hands, but this luxury is usually only offered by manufacturers of really high-quality gloves such as Roeckl for example. Together with a sufficiently flexible upper material, this reduces tension when gripping the handlebars and prevents the hands from tiring quickly.
Equipment - you should pay attention to this
A Velcro fastener can help with getting into the glove and improve the fit on the wrist, but is not a must. In contrast to touchscreen-compatible fingertips and rubberised shift and brake fingers. A wiping thumb made of soft terry cloth helps to prevent runny noses or splashes on sunglasses - also a must for me.
If you have particularly sensitive hands, you should make sure that your fingertips don't have any scratchy seams when you try on the gloves. The longer the tour lasts, the more uncomfortable even these little things become and in the end you will only want one thing: Take the glove off as quickly as possible - and that's not the point of the exercise!
The evaluation of the gloves at a glance
Stefan Frey
Editor
